


Dissolution of Dreams

by Anonymous



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Don’t copy to another site, F/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 16:07:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19467433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Vanya and Five had always been close. She would like to think it was because they honestly enjoyed each other’s company. But the ugly truth was that back when they were four, their legal guardian herded the two of them in his office and told them to always get along because one day the two of them would be married.





	Dissolution of Dreams

Vanya and Five had always been close. She would like to think it was because they honestly enjoyed each other’s company. But the ugly truth was that back when they were four, their legal guardian herded the two of them in his office and told them to always get along because one day the two of them would be married.

Of course, her four year old self had no idea what being married was. Neither did Five for that matter. 

If only Pogo didn’t simplify it to mean that they would stay together forever, perhaps Vanya could have withstood her current predicament with Five.

But for a toddler who feared being alone, Vanya (who was known as Seven then) welcomed this news. She didn’t know how Five took being essentially engaged at four years old but she’d like to think he didn’t mind it at all. 

Five was the one who’d read to her and kept her company when the nannies had to band together to deal with Number Four’s naughtiness. He’d take her with him when all of them played hide and seek. 

When she was four years old, she didn’t doubt that Five was fond of her. So it never really dawned on her that he might not actually want to marry her until much later.

In fact, Five liked the idea a lot. But Five, even at four years old, wanted to be seen as an adult so he only responded to Reginald’s declaration with a nod. To him, it wasn’t a shock but an inevitability.

Number Seven was his favorite because she’d share her marshmallows with him unlike their other siblings. In return, he thought it was only fair that he eat the oatmeal she hated so much.

The nannies scolded him for stealing Seven’s food. And they even reported it to Reginald. The only thing that accomplished was to make Five learn how to help Seven without getting caught.

When they took their afternoon naps, it was Seven who always chose to lie beside him. Five would never admit it but he liked it when she would reach for his hand before they closed their eyes.

He never said it out loud. But he assumed his actions spoke louder than anything he could have told her.

Unfortunately, everything Vanya believed to be true about the nature of their relationship was about to be shaken. And it was Number Five himself who started it all.

As they grew up, it soon became apparent that Five was the only sibling who was willing to spend time with her. Vanya knew it made sense that she would be excluded. She was the only one without powers. While Five and the others were given a variety of rigorous and difficult training or were sent out on dangerous missions, she was left alone mostly to her own devices, left hoping none of her siblings come to harm.

On those days, playing her violin was no help.

If it wasn’t for the knowledge of what Dad expected of her in the future, Vanya would have felt adrift and lost at sea. Because what was the use of an ordinary girl in a place filled with extraordinary individuals? 

Whenever Five would come to her in search of someone to listen or a lap to lay his head on, she felt that at least she could do something for him. It might not be much. But it made her happy to think she helped him in some way.

Besides, it was the least she could do. Whenever Vanya had a nightmare, she would always make her way upstairs to Five’s room. Five might initially be grumpy at being woken up in the middle of the night. But he would always let Vanya in and spend the night beside him. Feeling Five’s solid presence beside her and hearing his strong, steady heartbeat would be enough to eventually lull her back to sleep.

It all changed one night when she woke up in tears from dreaming of solitude and silence. They were fifteen then. As per usual, she’d go to Five, assured that everything will be better. 

But the Five who opened his bedroom door wasn’t the usual Five. He looked like he’d seen a ghost at the sight of her. And despite the cold night, he was soaked in sweat.

He even took a step back when she attempted to reach out to him.

Five offered no explanations. 

“Go back to your room, Vanya,” was all he said as he shut his door to her. The telltale click right after told Vanya he’d locked the door as well.

He was apologetic the morning after. Well, as apologetic as Five could be.

Vanya tried to forget the incident, put it behind her in hopes that it would disappear. But things were never really the same between them afterwards.

Five didn’t want to go near her, didn’t want to be alone in the same room as her. He could barely even look her in the eye when he spoke to her.

The one time she managed to grasp a bare arm, his whole posture became rigid before he used his spatial jump to get away from her, leaving Vanya to wonder what on earth she’d done for him to hate her now.

Dad dismissed Five’s behavior as merely a phase. He was confident that Five would grow out of it. But Vanya wasn’t so sure.

In Reginald’s eyes, Five and Vanya would get married. He’d arranged it and so nothing will get in the way of it happening.

However, neither Five nor Vanya had a say in the matter. While Vanya was more than willing to be with him, Five might have grown to resent it. He valued his independence, after all. Five had been known to argue with Reginald about all sorts of things. Most of the time, it was because he truly disagreed with Reginald’s stance. But in some cases, he argued just to rebel against Dad’s control.

What if the thought of having Vanya with him for the rest of his life began to chafe and fester? It would hurt Vanya to know if this were true. But she’d rather the ugly truth than a beautiful lie

So she confronted Five.

“What did I do?” 

She asked him without preamble. But Five refused to tell her.

“Nothing! Don’t be ridiculous!”

But Five’s face was all flushed. He still wouldn’t look her in the eye. Vanya would have grabbed him, maybe even tried to shake him out of frustration.

Something was going on with him. And it hurt that he refused to share the burden. Didn’t he trust her anymore? The small space of contentment she carved out for herself in this house had shrunk until she could no longer breathe.

Vanya wished she had the power to read minds. Maybe then she’d know the reason behind Five’s actions. But in the end, she had to face facts. She and Five had drifted apart.

She shouldn’t have waited so long to confront him. Now all that was left was this great emotional chasm that she couldn’t traverse.

There was no way she was going to stand by for the inevitable. If their engagement was at the end, she’d rather be the one to pull the trigger. That way, she wouldn’t have to wait on pins and needles as he pulled the plug on a relationship that needed life support to survive.

So as soon as they turned eighteen, she decided to move out.

Reginald’s lengthy and excruciating admonition couldn’t deter her. Her other siblings now thought she was sort-of cool for withstanding it and for being the first to try to make it alone in the outside world.

From Five, there was nothing. Vanya tried to convince herself that this was for the best. It still hurt. But she told herself that the alternative would have been worse. She loved Five but to be married to a man who could barely stand to be alone with her would definitely drain whatever little happiness remained out of Vanya.

——

Vanya left. And Five told himself that this was the best possible outcome. 

The contrary part of him resented her for it. But he knew he only had himself to blame.

Reginald had them almost literally attached at the hip for most of their lives. And his plan was to have them marry and start producing babies by eighteen.

Five didn’t want that for Vanya. More to the point, he didn’t want Vanya to grow to hate him for taking away her opportunities. If they had followed Dad’s plans, Vanya would have become another Grace. But one with a womb and without the metal mechanics.

The thought of Vanya doing what Grace did while their potential children took her for granted would always lead to his fear that Vanya would eventually resent her life. Most kids their age have friends outside their immediate families. They get jobs. They go to college. They meet new people.

Vanya would be housebound if they went on the path Reginald set for them. She’d be stuck waiting, always waiting while Five was out there doing jobs he was indifferent to and saving people he didn’t really care about.

He would have been lying if the thought of Vanya waiting for him didn’t appeal to him on some level. He’d had so many fantasies of her waiting for him on his bed. In those fantasies, he would be covered in blood and sweat from a mission. And he’d jump to his room to get a change of clothes before he showered only to be distracted with the sight of her without a stitch of clothing.

Five shook at the images of what he did to her after.

Vanya starred in all his x-rated dreams as soon as he hit puberty. And at first, he was excited for the day they turned eighteen when they could get married and he’d finally get to do those things in reality.

But then, the other dreams came. And he recoiled in horror.

In one dream, he was the son of a rich man and she was a young maid who caught his eye. He didn’t even wait for her to clear his dinner before he had her on the table amidst her pleas for him to stop, to be merciful and then later to not be so rough.

Then there was another dream where he was a scientist and she was a test subject, dependent on him for food, clothes, shelter and release in every sense of the word.

It would have been one thing if he forgot about them as soon as he woke up. Or if they came once in a blue moon. 

But no, they plagued him to the point that he’d be lucky to dream of oblivion.

Every dream may differ in setting. But the theme and characters were essentially the same with Vanya having to submit to whatever twisted fantasies his mind thought up.

He’d like to think his dream self was only just that. A dream. Nothing real. But he didn’t want to take that chance and find out.

He only hoped Vanya would one day understand that this was the only way. With Vanya free to live her own life, maybe the nightmares would go away. And he could dream of days long gone, of Vanya holding his hand as she lay next to him.


End file.
